Be indulgent with this rich, chocolate pudding

12:15pm Thursday 19th April 2007 By Victoria Crebbin

Here is a very indulgent chocolaty pudding. It is rather rich, though, so I would recommend that it is served after a light main course. It can be prepared in advance and reheats well (see notes). Chocolate and Date Pudding with a Rich Chocolate Sauce Ingredients (serves 4-5) Butter for greasing 110g stoned dates, chopped tsp bicarbonate of soda 50g plain chocolate 65g butter, at room temperature 65g soft light brown sugar 2 eggs 110g self raising flour A few drops vanilla extract Chocolate sauce: 50g plain chocolate 150ml whipping cream Vanilla extract Method 1 Preheat the oven to 180 C. Lightly grease 4 or 5 dariole moulds with butter. 2 Place the dates in a pan with 150ml water. Bring to the boil and then add the bicarbonate of soda. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

3 Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, ensure the base of the bowl is not touching the water. 4 Place the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl and use an electric hand whisk to cream them together. 5 Whisk the eggs together and gradually add them to the butter mixture, beating well between each addition. 6 Fold the chocolate and the flour into the butter/sugar mixture. Add the dates and any remaining liquid. 7 Divide the mixture between the prepared moulds, leaving approximately 1cm from the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just firm to the touch. 8 Meanwhile make the sauce by melting together the chocolate and cream over a low heat. Add a few drops of vanilla extract. 9 Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from the moulds. To serve: Serve hot with the hot chocolate sauce. If you wish, serve with a good vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Lightly dust the plate with cocoa powder (a spoon and a fork make very good stensils!). Notes:

These sponge puddings freeze well. Allow to defrost fully before reheating - the best way to reheat is to place them in a plastic bag and steam in the microwave on full power for two minutes. The chocolate sauce will keep for up to five days in the fridge. Reheat before serving. Rather than making individual puddings, you can put all the mixture together in an ovenproof dish, allow up to 40 minutes for baking. Pour the sauce over the top before serving. Use a good quality plain chocolate, one which you would be happy to eat. I usually use one with approximately 50 per cent cocoa solids so that it is not too bitter.

Next time I will write about something healthy, I promise!